NFL defenses have begun to catch as much as NFL offenses within the battle for supremacy on the soccer subject. Factors per sport had been at their lowest final season since 2017, in accordance with Professional Soccer Reference, and passing yards per sport in each the 2022 and 2023 seasons hovered round 218 yards, the bottom since 2009.
As defenses started to remove explosive performs, offenses needed to concentrate on getting defenses out of two-high shells by way of fast beneath passing and the run sport. The most important downside there’s that among the passing sport and run sport ideas aren’t simply run collectively out of shotgun. Until you have got a cell quarterback, the shotgun runs are largely saved to inside zone, duo, counter, and a few pin and pull motion, making it actually arduous to actually get downhill within the run sport. On the flip facet, most NFL groups most likely aren’t working a large buffet of expansive RPOs from beneath heart. After all we all know the Dolphins is perhaps the one exception, however for probably the most half it turns into a shotgun-only ordeal.
This leaves NFL offenses at a crossroads and going through a siloing that leaves them predictable. Nevertheless, there’s one answer on the horizon, and it comes within the type of the pistol offense.
What’s the pistol offense?
Let’s take it again to Reno, Nev., in 2004. Nevada head soccer coach Chris Ault wanted a solution to keep in shotgun for his quarterback, however nonetheless needed to make use of the identical disciplines in his zone and hole blocking that he used beneath heart. Whereas it led to some very efficient offenses, it actually took off when QB Colin Kaepernick got here to Nevada and used the zone learn out of the pistol formation. Combining that downhill run sport with the explosiveness of a cell QB shortly made the pistol offense take off, and finally the formation discovered its means into the NFL.
Whereas on The Athletic Soccer Present with Robert Mays, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay talked about their uptick in utilization of the pistol offense, and this line actually stood out to me (by way of The Athletic’s Alec Lewis):
“(The pistol) gave us the flexibility to activate completely different components of our offense that perhaps we might sometimes solely run out of our shotgun. And I assumed there have been some issues concerning the run sport, the phasing and spacing, that was just like being (beneath heart).”
That is the gorgeous a part of the pistol offense. What makes it completely different is the location of the quarterback pre-snap. Each QB and their grandmother is aware of how one can function out of shotgun now, and with the ability to see the sector that means is extra helpful to the passing sport. However, by holding the working again behind the QB as in the event you’re beneath heart, you’ll be able to nonetheless do among the similar forms of runs similar to energy and counter, with the imaginative and prescient nonetheless being the identical for the RB. It’s one of the best of each worlds, a mix of the shotgun passing components of contemporary soccer and the run-pass possibility, whereas getting ballcarriers to the opening faster with run sport ideas which are frequent from beneath heart.
As well as, your cell QB will love the pistol offense, as a result of it means that you can use his legs very similar to the shotgun offense, whereas holding the beneath heart run sport ideas within the tuck. Groups just like the Atlanta Falcons (now Pittsburgh Steelers with Arthur Smith calling performs), the Miami Dolphins, and Los Angeles Rams all used the offense to a lot success in 2023 and it could possibly be a precursor for issues to return in offensive assembly rooms in 2024. It allowed Atlanta to get downhill with their run sport, ending ninth in EPA per rush out of pistol, in comparison with twenty third in that very same metric out of singleback, beneath heart formations. Miami leveraged their pace and used the pistol offense to create poor angles, main to five.9 yards per carry working out of pistol. In a world the place RPOs are attempting to mesh with downhill working, the pistol offense may supply one of the best answer.
Pistol utilization was up across the NFL final season, a wanted curveball after NFL defenses spent many of the 2023 season punching again. This chart is from the 2023 NFL season by way of Professional Soccer Focus, with the league common sitting at round 5 p.c.
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thirty third Crew’s Dan Pizzuta seen that the pistol offense was at its broadest utilization since 2013, when Robert Griffin III was obliterating defenses with it. Naturally, one of many folks on that teaching employees was Sean McVay, who’s now utilizing the pistol offense to remain on the slicing fringe of NFL offense. So as to perceive why the pistol offense goes to trigger issues for NFL defenses in 2024, we gotta return a couple of steps.
Run sport versatility
In 2022, I wrote about how the run sport was being revived within the NFL, after years of passing offenses completely shredding the league. One of many main issues that was famous in that piece was the rise of five-man fronts throughout NFL defenses. These fronts are designed to remove any cutback lanes that may present up with exterior zone runs, and funnel all the things to the sting, the place the pace of the protection can rally to make the deal with. The reply to that is utilizing hole scheme runs like energy and counter, however it’s extraordinarily tough to run these ideas out of shotgun.
In pistol, there’s extra selection within the run sport, and you’ll actually get at opposing defenses, as an alternative of attempting to run round them. If everybody desires to play a 220-pound former security at linebacker, simply hit them within the mouth.
For offensive linemen, the angles and aiming factors are completely different in shotgun vs. beneath heart. With the pistol, the offensive line’s aiming factors are the identical as they’re beneath heart. Which means the angles they take and the place the again seems to run is nearly a mirror picture of being beneath heart, giving offenses extra versatility within the run sport.
The Ravens’ right here pull the middle and left deal with round, however watch what it does to the Texans’ protection. Houston completed the 2023 season sixth in EPA per run allowed when defending exterior zone, and that’s primarily due to how broad they play their defensive entrance and the way far upfield they get. They’re in a position to create cutbacks the place backs don’t need them to be due to how far upfield they get. Baltimore determined to take a hammer to that.
Take a look at the lane that’s created for Gus Edwards. He’s in a position to get momentum coming downhill and see the lane coming open in a significantly better means than he may in shotgun. Tampa Bay’s Rachaad White is ready to hit this gap so arduous on this zone run out of pistol, primarily as a result of he can see the cutback lane a lot faster. Even utilizing the staple zone runs that many of the Shanahan/McVay disciples love to make use of, the pistol offense might be extraordinarily efficient.
The Rams in 2023 switched up their staple run ideas, going from exterior zone primarily based to incorporating extra duo and counter runs. They didn’t need to sacrifice their expansive shotgun eating regimen to take action, as a result of they used the pistol. It creates the identical angles and will get at opponents whereas nonetheless being in shotgun.
Watch this landing on the bottom for LA. Because the movement bumps all the linebackers, you see the mid zone run unfolding. From the tip zone angle, you’ll be able to see the opening come open such as you’re a Demon Slayer seeing the opening thread, and Williams cuts it again and scores. That play isn’t essentially obtainable in shotgun, however with pistol you’ll be able to maintain the shotgun passing footwork with the downhill run sport.
In pistol the imaginative and prescient is completely different, with extra time to see the sector from 5 yards deep with out the added stress of the ball in your palms than in shotgun, the place you’re nearer to the road of scrimmage and have the ball faster. Clearly one of the best backs have nice imaginative and prescient, however most guys can’t learn the protection that shortly and make reactions primarily based off of it. That is the place the pistol offense is available in. Now with the again behind the QB, he has extra of a runway to not solely construct up pace, however sufficient time to make cuts and use his imaginative and prescient in a greater means. Defenses additionally use the again to set their defensive entrance, as a result of once more, choices are restricted by way of run sport out of shotgun. With the pistol, you’ll be able to disguise your intentions a bit extra within the run sport and maintain the protection on their toes.
Remaining fashionable within the passing sport
In Lewis’ piece concerning the pistol offense, he notes that Nevada head coach Chris Ault mentioned why the pistol offense was so helpful, and there are some overlaps with the place the trendy day NFL goes with QB instruction. One of many first issues he notes is that that QB can run play motion with out having to show his again to the protection. This can be a enormous facet of the trendy NFL sport, the place faculty sign callers come from nearly completely shotgun environments with play motion not requiring them to show their again. Then, they get to the NFL the place everyone seems to be turning into an under-center, play-action offense the place to promote the pretend you must flip your again to the protection, which permits coordinators to vary the protection shell post-snap and confuse QBs.
McVay and the Rams had been ready to make use of this pistol offense in passing conditions so successfully as a result of it allowed QB Matthew Stafford to do what he does greatest. Whereas Stafford is actually not as cell as he as soon as was, being within the pistol permits for the gorgeous mesh between Stafford getting conventional dropback passing ideas and getting the mix of play motion ideas a McVay offense is thought for with out having to check Stafford’s dwindling mobility.
This move was an incompletion, however it completely illustrates the chances opened up utilizing the pistol within the passing sport. As a result of you’ll be able to run so many downhill run ideas, the passing sport opens up the center of the sector like a child opening presents on Christmas. Take a look at how a lot grass is out there after the play pretend, and Stafford doesn’t have to show his again to the protection, nor transfer an excessive amount of off his spot.
This doesn’t imply that Stafford can’t do the standard dropback stuff he loves, although. Stafford is a wizard with the ball in passing conditions, and being within the pistol doesn’t drive him to sacrifice that capacity to see the sector from shotgun and make passes like this, which break each thoughts and spirit.
On the earth of punching and counter-punching that NFL offenses and defenses are likely to do, it’s within the type of the pistol offense that groups may have the ability to get one of the best of each worlds (shoutout to Hannah Montana). Because the cyclical nature of the game flexes its’ muscle, offenses need to lean again into 2009 with Ault and Nevada with the intention to transfer ahead within the battle for supremacy.
On this battle, although, the pistol is perhaps the gamechanger it as soon as was.
